


The Other World

by RougeSpirit1



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Doflamingo is not to be trusted, Magic, Somewhat Smarter Luffy, Spirited Away AU, Spirits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:40:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25293337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RougeSpirit1/pseuds/RougeSpirit1
Summary: Luffy finds himself trapped in a world filled with strange spirits, a wild adventure begging for him and a quiet dark haired boy who seems strangely familiar. What will Luffy do to get back home? Will he ever figure out who the strange boy is? And can someone please get him another meat bouquet? Look out world, you've got a monkey on your hands!
Kudos: 2





	1. And Merrily We Roll Along

**Author's Note:**

> Transitioned from FF.net to here. Original Publish Date: 5/31/2019

**Welcome to this One Piece Spirited Away AU. I saw this post on tumblr about a One Piece Spirited Away AU and was immediately inspired. In the original post Zoro was Chihiro. That's all I'm gonna say. Don't wanna spoil who's who. But you're free to make guesses as to who you think will be in place of certain characters.**

**Please enjoy and don't forget to review. Also do watch Spirited Away its an amazing movie. Definitely something Studio Ghibli should be proud to have under their belt.**

" Adventure! Adventure! Adventure!" Luffy cheered happily in the back seat of Nami's car, haphazardly waving around a meat bouquet that his brother Ace had given him. It was a little parting gift. Luffy was finally moving out of Ace's house and was going to live with his friends in their own apartment two towns over.

" Oi oi! Sit still Luffy you're shaking the vehicle." Zoro turned his head from the passenger side to the back seat, given the straw hat wearing boy a firm look.

Luffy did stop moving around but still vibrated in his seat, a face splitting grin across his face as he bit into one part of the meat bouquet. " Shishishi! Sorry Zoro! I'm just so excited. I finally get to live with my friends! We'll have so much adventures."

Nami chuckled from the driver's seat, keeping her eyes on the road. " Nice to see you so happy. But if you spill any meat in my car, I'll make you pay for the cleaning services plus extra for bringing that thing in here when I told you to wrap it up and put it in the back with the rest."

" Kay Kay Nami!" Luffy nodded, mouth full of ham.

Ussop sighed and looked out the backseat window, staring at a true blue sky, fluffy clouds and blurring trees. He was on the left of Luffy, who was wedged between himself and Sanji, who was pouting out the other window. Something about " that stupid mosshead getting to sit beside the beautiful Nami-swan" or something of that nature.

" I still think this move is a bad idea." The long nosed man grumbled. Not bothering to list any reason for his concern.

" No offense Ussop, but you think everything is a bad idea. Your paranoia is borderline crippling. " Sanji absent mindedly tapped on the glass. Stars he needed a smoke, but he couldn't as he was in a closed area and Nami would get pissed at him making her car smell.

" Geez, someone is particularly acidic today. Way to wound me." The curly haired man feigned hurt, hiding his actual hurt.

" Sorry."

" I have some suckers in the glove compartment. Zoro, reach forward and pass one to Sanji-kun." The orangette took a hand of the steering wheel and pointed a thumb to the back seat.

" Sure." Zoro said, reaching forward, opening the compartment and passing one to the tightly wound chef, not bothering to look at which one he grabbed. He felt a rough kick in his back that was muffled by the stuffing in the seat. " What the hell was that for!"

" Of course you'd give me a green lolly to piss me off. Stupid marimo." Sanji still stuffed the lollipop in his mouth.

" I didn't do it on purpose." Zoro defended. " Besides, you're still eating it. So I don't see what the problem is." He reclined a bit further in his seat, and putting his arms behind his head. He needed a nap.

Sanji, surprisingly didn't have an answer for that. Or rather, he was too busy on focusing on curbing his craving to pay the wannabe swordsman any mind.

Nami sighed wistfully at the peace and silence in her vehicle. Luffy wasn't complaining about hunger. Zoro and Sanji weren't arguing and Ussop wasn't pathetically rambling. " Today is a truly beautiful day."

O-O

" I may have taken a wrong turn." Nami squinted at the dirt road in front of her, the vehicle bouncing around on the rocks. This was impossible though! She was never wrong when it came to travelling to distance places.

" You sure? Your ability to navigate is second to none as far as I know." Sanji raised his only seen eyebrow and peered outside. They seemed to be in some forest like area, the road path they were one were covered it small stone structures that looked like tiny houses.

" Oi. What are those tiny house things?" Luffy unbuckled his belt and stretched over Ussop, face plastered against the glass window.

" Those are shrines Luffy." Zoro answered. " Some people think spirits live in them."

" Uwaaa! That's so cool! I hope the spirits like their tiny houses. I hope I'm going to like our new house too!"

" Sp-sp-spirits?" Ussop shivered, a frightened look on his face. " If that's the case then I definitely think we should turn around. We don't want to anger the spirits and have them curse us for the rest of our lives!"

" Don't be dramatic Ussop. I said people "think" spirits live in the shrines. Not that they do. Besides. We can't reverse anyway. We're on an incline. If we try to reverse, gravity will pull the car back super fast and kill us all."

" What!" Luffy and Ussop shrieked.

" Now you're being dramatic Zoro. We're not on an incline that would kill us. We're on a decline that would kill us. It would kill us super bad because my brakes aren't working!" Nami pressed on the brakes, but it only made a hollow sound like air and the speeding vehicle lurched forward.

" Whoa!" everyone shouted, as the care sped down the dirt road, bouncing over potholes and rolling over ditches.

Luffy just laughed wildly, enjoying the ride as he slammed into Ussop's and Sanji's sides. Somehow, their grunts of pain when the boy accidentally elbowed them made it a little bit funnier. " Wee!" Luffy laughed.

None of them noticed the strange stone statues that were scattered through the forest.

Nami pulled on the emergency brakes, and squealed to a stop right before they crashed into a stone figure. The car gave one final lurch before stopping. All there was were the sounds of huffing, sizzling and the popping of boiling water under the hood.

" Hey! We didn't die!" Luffy beamed. Everyone else just groaned.

The five friends piled out of the car and looked around to see where they were. It needed a chance to cool off anyway. It was mostly just dense forest, but in front of the statue was a strange building. It looked old, the red paint was peeled off in many places and the sign at the top of the arch was faded and for the most part unreadable. Many of the characters had faded off overtime, becoming nearly impossible to read.

Luffy peered into the arc that lead to a deep dark hallway. "….mhmmm so it's a mystery building then?"

" What?" Nami turned her head towards Luffy.

" There's a bunch of forest, a weird statue and a dark hall. It's a mystery building!" then Luffy gasped, gaining a look in his eye that filled everyone else with dread.

" Oh no." whimpered Ussop.

" IT"S AN ADVENTURE!" Luffy cheered and barreled down the hallway, the echoing flaps of flip flops growing distant with each passing second.

" Oi Luffy wait!" Zoro shouted and chased after Luffy.

Nami gave an exasperated sighed and dragged her face down her hand. " Wait for me you idiots!" She chased after them, leaving Sanji and Ussop to follow her.

" Come on long nose. I have to beat those two brainless idiots for making my sweet Nami-swan run after them. Ussop wordlessly followed.

The hall seemed to stretch and stretch, being nearly endless before opening up to what looked like to be some sort of waiting area. A very dusty waiting area. Dirt particles drifted through the air like snow, the beams of light streaming through carved in windows highlighting it. Sitting behind various towering pillars were a bunch of equally dusty wooden benches. Sanji slid a finger across one of them, a caked layer of dirt about as thick as a long finger nail sat on his finger. He rubbed it off.

" Looks like the caretaker of this place really let it go." He commented, switching his lollipop from the left side of his mouth to the right.

" We can think about caretakers later. Right now we have to find Luffy!" Ussop said almost panicked.

" Found him!" Nami called from the other end of the waiting area, waving to the blonde and brunette.

Luffy was standing in the open air, wide grin on his face and arms stretched wide. A cool breeze flowing and blowing through his red and beige striped shirt. " Wow this place is so pretty."

It really was, for miles there was tall green grass dancing gracefully in the wind. In it were paths of stone that led to aged but not decrepit house like structures. There were more of the strange stone figures scattered through the grass, sticking out with peaceful, silly or even sometimes scary faces carved onto them. Thick clouds that looked like you can sit on without the threat of falling through drifted lackadaisically through the air.

"What is this place?" Nami breathed, standing next to Luffy, who continued to grin.

Zoro looked all around. The statues, the houses and the back of the red building that appeared to have a large clock tower. " A place in which we should leave. I feel an…energy here. We should probably go. And not touch anything."

Luffy whined. " But my adventure…"

Sanji rolled his eye. " Tch. Don't listen to him. You can have your adventure. A peaceful and calm adventure that doesn't involve touching anything. We can take a walk around and then turn back. The car should be cooled by then."

" No no no! I actually kinda agree with Zoro on this one. This place seems strange. Otherworldly almost. Like…a realm not for humans but we accidentally found." Ussop stood next to Zoro.

" Every place you're not used to is strange." Nami countered. " Besides no one is here. So we're not going to get in trouble if we stay for a bit. We're also double not going to get in trouble if we don't touch anything."

" Why are you guys emphasizing that I shouldn't touch anything so much?" Luffy tilted his head.

" Everything you touch you destroy." The four friends answered their rubber brained companion, all with dry voices and expressions that told that they've had this conversation numerous times.

Luffy huffed through his nose. "Fine, I won't touch anything. But only because this place is super pretty and I really don't want to accidentally destroy it." He crossed his arms and pouted showing that he wasn't pleased. " Still, It won't be a real adventure if I don't get to touch anything."

Everyone else just chuckled. Little did Luffy know that soon he really would have a true adventure unlike which he had ever experienced before.

**And so the tale begins! Don't forget to follow and review. Constructive criticism is super appreciated. Updates are going to be a bit sporadic. Till next time !**


	2. Illegal Tresspassing

**Here's the second chapter of the spirited away AU. I've never written Luffy before so I hope I'm not to OOC haha. Don't forget to review and follow! Constructive criticism is appreciated**

As per usual, Luffy bounded up ahead of his friends, whooping and cheering with arms raised up in the air, once again chanting " Adventure! Adventure! Adventure!". The slaps of the flip flops he never takes off slightly muffled in the long flowing grass made loud enough echoes to alert the others where their boisterous "Captain" was. He ran up the hills and rolled down the hills, taking moments to stare in awe at the cool moss covered statues that stood in the area.

"Having fun Luffy?" Nami asked, standing besides him, a little out of breath because they had to run after him to make sure he wasn't too out of sight and accidentally destroyed anything.

Luffy nodded. " Yeah! Although, I wish there was more stuff to see. There's only so much hills I can roll on. Plus, I'm hungry! I wanna go back to the car and eat!"

" Of course you're hungry. It's like your stomach took the place of your brain." Sanji sighed through the cigarette dangling from his mouth. He looked up. " Everyone else ready to go?"

" I think my car is cooled enough by now. It's been a few minutes. And the wind is blowing out my hair too. I took forever on this." Nami said looking at her watch then running a hand through her orange locks.

" Yes! I think the spirits would be glad for us to leave now." Ussop nodded rapidly, already making his way back down the hill.

" For the last time Ussop, there are no vengeful spirits here...at least I think so." Zoro told Ussop with a menacing smile. It didn't really do much to quench the long nosed teen's fears.

At this, a particular loud howl from the wind rang out, kicking up dust. Ussop jumped in Zoro's arms as the howl sounded very close to a scream. Oh wait. That was Ussop screaming. Zoro just chuckled as he walked down the hill, with Ussop still in his arms. " Come on you chicken."

" Ah! My hat!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed as his hat blew away from him, deeper into the hills. " You guys go back! I need to get my treasure!" He ran up ahead without waiting for any of their responses.

The raven haired teen ran deeper into the hills, arms stretched trying to grasp at the straw hat. It had much sentimental value to him. It symbolized a promise between himself and Shanks, the person he looked up to the most aside from his brothers.

" Stupid wind! Stop blowing!" Luffy jumped up in the air, but the wind kept blowing it out of his reach.

Running water caught Luffy's ears. His eyes had been so focused on the hat, that he hadn't realized he was about to run straight into a river. Though, the river at been completely blocked by large boulders, you could still hear thin streams of water flowing under it. Finally, the wind stopped blowing, and Luffy's hat landed gracefully on the other side of the river on some stone steps.

Luffy paused momentarily, staring at the river. He had a slight fear of them, or any significantly large body of water actually. He couldn't swin and nearly drowned once upon a time and was weary of them ever since. But this was okay since there wasn't really any water. Luffy climbed over stones, careful not to slip as many were wet and hopped down on the other side. He picked up his hat and dusted it off, resting it on his head and securing the string Nami sewed onto it tightly so that it wouldn't fly away again.

He was about to go back when his nose caught a certain smell. It smelled of something that he had been craving for a while now. It smelled like

" Meat!" Luffy dashed up the stairs. Surely his friends would wait for him right? It wouldn't take too long to grab a bite and come back right? He didn't have any money to pay for the food but he was a very fast runner. Ace had said so.

He followed the wondourus scent up the stairs and into a plaza where he saw all kinds of colorful buildings with colorful designes etched into the walls. " Cool!" he said, running through the buildings and looking at the paper lamps that hung on string tied between the stone structures.

His nose finally led him to an open restaurant where there were platters of hot steaming food just sitting there,aromatic smoke wafting. He wondered if they sold meat bouqets. With drooling lips, Luffy was just about ready to dig in when he remembered a lesson that Sabo gave him.

" Don't eat before you know a person is working in the building. If it seems empty, wait a second before a worker comes out."

" Why?" Luffy had asked.

" Because I'm older than you. Which means that I'm smarter than you and you must do everything as I say." Sabo replied.

Luffy blinked at Sabo with narrowed eyes before smiling. " Okay! If you say so! I guess it would be more nice to eat in front of the person, so you can let them know how good the food is."

" Uh...sure." Sabo said. In all honesty, he just didn't want Luffy to eat other people's food without permission.

Luffy didn't see anybody in the restaurant and he wasn't stupid enough to jump over the counter and enter the kitchen. Sanji said that the kitchen is a chef's haven and that anyone who wasn't a chef or a waiter who barged in was that of dirt and had the moral backbone of overcooked pasta.

So Luffy decided in order to keep his mind off the hunger, and wait for some workers to arrive, to walk around. Maybe there was some cool games that he could play! He ran around the empty plaza, shouting " Hello! Is anyone there?!"

But there was no reply. No signs of any games. No signs of any workers. He pouted. He shouldn't have left his phone behind in the car. This was so boring. Then, something twinkled in the sun light, something gold and red and pretty.

It looked like a cuckoo clock, but it wasn't. He tilted his head at the words on it. It was in a language that he couldn't read. But given the look of the structure...maybe it could be a sign to somewhere? He whipped his head around, looking to where the supposed sign could be pointing to.

That's when he saw it. The bathouse.

It was a huge building, several stories high, bigger than any of the other buildings that where there in the plaza. There were many beautiful tall trees and plants surrounding it, and it had many windows and " Oh look! There's a whole waterfall on the side of that building!"

On the side was a tall metal pipe with black smoke pouring out of it. Luffy ran across the bridge and poked his head through the gap. Down below was no river but a deep deep canyon and at the bottom lay train tracks. A red train, huffing smoke tooted its horn and ran across the tracks.

Luffy, being Luffy thought this was cool and ran to the other side of the bridge to get a closer look. However, his grip on the bars loosened and his thin frame fell through.

" Ah!" Luffy exclaimed, when he felt himself fall. 'Is this really how I'm going to die?!...How boring!'

But he never fell further than a few centimeters before he felt someone roughly grab the back of his shirt and hoist him over the bars. He fell on the bridge with an 'oof!' and scrambled to see who saved him.

It was a boy, just like Luffy though slightly taller and seeming to be slightly older. He had milk chocolate skin, that was covered in white patches, making him look like a bit of a cow. His eyes, flat and had a bored look were silvery blue but had flecks of gold in it. His black hair, spiky in some places, moved with the wind. This mystery boy was wearing clothes Luffy had never seen before. It looked kind of like a uniform, but could double as pajamas too.

"Idiot. You could have fallen over and died. Not that it would be much of an issue." the older boy scolded.

" Whoops. My bad. Shishishi!" Luffy just laughed, hand going being his head in a sheepish grin.

"...Humans usually quiver at the thought of being turned into a red paste."

Luffy stood up and dusted himself off before walking closer to the boy, hand stretched out for a handshake. " Well I'm not like normal humans. I'm Monkey D. Luffy! What's your name?!" This guy looked fun. Luffy wanted to be his freind.

The mystery boy neither took Luffy's hand nor told him his name. Instead, he just looked over the bridge and into the sun that began to set.

" The sun is setting. Soon it will be dark." He said calmly, before looking back at Luffy. " You need to go back and cross the river now." He grabbed Luffy's shoulders and turned him in the direction of the river, giving him a little push.

" What? Why? I didn't even get to eat yet." Luffy whined. Just as soon as he found someone interesting, he had to leave. That's not fair at all.

" You can eat what you want after you cross the river. But you have to leave before nightfall, or you'll disappear and never be seen again."

" What?! I don't want to disappear! That's so not cool! If i disappear, then Nami will kill me for disappearing!" Luffy looked a bit panicked. " But I don't remember how to get back! I ran alot and all over the place, so I'm not sure which direction to go in."

The mystery boy sighed and put a hand to his temple " Well I guess I'm going to have to take you there then." He grabbed Luffy's hand and ran. " Hurry, the lights are turning on. They'll see you."

Luffy wasn't expecting the speed at which the boy was going at and nearly tripped, but managed to balance himself. " Um...who's gonna see me exactly?" Luffy asked as he was dragged by the mysterious boy.

The sun was setting rapidly, an inch a second and all the lanterns in the streets began to light up. Ghostly figures began to meander. Black shadowy creatures sat in the restuarants and idle, friendly chatter began to ride on the air.

This was so cool! Zoro was right! There are spirits here! He wanted to say hi to them, and brag to his friends that he got to talk to the spirits. But the mystery boy said he'd disappear if he didn't leave soon, and talking to the spirits would take up time. Maybe he could come back tomorrow and talk to the spirits? There was a chance that something was just happening today that prevented him from staying.

" The Family." was all the mystery boy said. He had a dark look on his face. A scary one that Luffy did not at all like. Who was this Family? And why couldn't Luffy be seen by them?

Luffy now recognized where they were; close to the wide field with the strong wind. All the statues were leaking water, from their ears, mouths and eyes. It poured and collected, completely covering the field with water. The river was now a lake.

Across this lake, was the old red building. The mystery building. Except now it was covered with a bunch of pretty lights that reflected in the water. It was a pretty sight.

" Cool..." Luffy said with stars in his eyes.

" No this is not 'cool'. We're too late. Can you swim? That would be your only chance." He looked to Luffy.

Luffy looked at the lake with fear in his onyx eyes. He shook his head and watched a brightly lit ferry bring across a boat full of Kasuga-Sama spirits with awe. Not that he knew that's what the name of those spirits were. He just thought their masks and red robes were cool.

The mystery boy had turned away, a contemplative look in his eyes. Luffy went to tap on his shoulder to ask him a question, but was shocked when his hand shifted straight through. He was transparent, and glowy. Like a ghost. He was...

" Ah! I'm disappearing! Nami will kill me!" Luffy excalimed, looking through his arms.

" That's not good." the mystery boy said and dug around in his pockets. He pulled out a few random items. Some coins, a piece of paper. He fumbled around in the other pocket as well before pulling out some bread. He looked at it in distaste. Who put that there?

"Here, eat this. You need to eat some food of this world so you don't disappear." He shoved the piece of rye toward's Luffy's mouth. The teen's hands were too transparent to hold anything.

Luffy's ate the bread without hesitation. He chewed and swallowed. Soon after, he wasn't see through anymore. " Magic food! So cool!"

"You're...not wrong." the mystery boy said as he watched Luffy pat himself all over.

" Yosh! Now how do I get back home?" Luffy asked after making sure he couldn't stick his hands through his chest anymore.

" I don't know. Humans don't usually get trapped in another world." the boy said. " We'll have to-" He then cut himself off as he heard childish laughter in the skies. He looked up at the sky a scowl on his face.

Luffy looked in the direction the mystery boy was looking at. In the sky were two spirits. They looked a lot like humans, but Luffy could tell they weren't. A) Humans didn't fly. B) Humans don't have magic. One of them, the flying one, was wearing yellow. It's hands and legs were stretched and it used its clothes to glide through the air. The other spirit was on it's back wearing...Luffy couldn't tell. They were too far away. But the second spirit seemed to have some attack spell at the ready.

" Who are they?" Luffy asked, pointing at the figures in the sky.

" Human Hunters. Bad news." The boy hissed as he whisked Luffy up in his arms and ran.

" Hey! Wha-" Luffy started to protest and tried to shove the mystery boy off of him.

" Quiet." He hissed again, slapping a hand over Luffy's mouth and crouching in the corner of the building, where the grass grew particularly long. Long enough to cover them.  
The mystery boy pressed his body against Luffy's making sure to hide him as much as he could while watching the two hunters. After the shrieks died out, signaling the two were gone, the mystery boy stood up, and yanked Luffy off the ground.

" What now?" Luffy asked, spitting. The mystery boy's hands tasted like metal. " I'm stuck and I wanna eat."

" Now..." the mystery boy said. " We get you a job."


	3. Don't Harass the Employees

**I'm actually having a lot of fun writing this particular story. Don't forget to follow and leave a review.**

" A j-what? Why?" Luffy whined, practically sagging and forcing most of his weight on the boy's arms " I'm only like 15! I haven't even graduated school yet! And that's already boring enough."

The mysterious boy ignored Luffy for the most part as he swiftly directed Luffy from the open area. The two rushed in a massive gust of wind through dimly lit and moist alley ways and walk in refrigerators with racks upon racks of cold dead cows and a stable with fat live pigs and storage rooms filled with crates and bins of sausages, chicken and fish the size of a grown man and even much taller. Normally, Luffy would be fascinated the sheer amount of food he was passing through. But currently, he was focusing on the prospect of having to get a job. Which was the last thing he wanted to do. After completing his mandatory education, Luffy wanted to travel the world with his friends and go on awesome adventures and have even more friends! He could just make money on the internet or something.

Luffy wondered where this mysterious boy was even taking him, before he slowly recognized where he was. Back at the bridge leading to the bathhouse where they first met.

"Hold your breath while crossing the bridge." the boy instructed as he opened up a side gate away from the main gate where all the customers were entering.

"Why?" Luffy pouted. He didn't like being bossed around. He already got enough of that from Ace, Sabo, Garp, Dadan and even Nami! " And you still didn't answer my first question!"

" I will get to that in a moment. Just do as I say and hold your breath. It will keep all the spirits from seeing that you're a human...or just seeing you in general. The tiniest breath will break my spell and I'll have no chance to cast another one." he answered.

Luffy raised a brow, not really understanding the logic behind that. Why holding your breath to keep a spell? It's guaranteed to cause the spell to break! People can't hold their breaths for long! Then again he wasn't a very logical person to begin with. Besides that, he looked very serious and he learned from Nami that when a person is serious, it usually means they are right and something good will happen to you if you listen to them.

So Luffy nodded and sucked in a big breath as he stepped on the bridge. He wasn't very good at holding it in but he was going to try his very best and not make the mystery boy mad at him.

Everyone seemed to ignore him as he and the mysterious boy walked past all the spirits. They greeted the guests, saying welcome back. One even looked at the boy and said with a gleeful smile " Welcome back Master Corazon!" Was that the mystery boy's name? Corazon? Or was the spirit speaking to someone behind them?

Luffy was halfway across the bridge when he felt an uncomfortable pressure building up in his lungs! Oh no. He was at his limit.

" Hold it." the boy said and Luffy slapped a hand over his mouth to keep the air in.

In the corner of his eye, Luffy saw a spirit that stood out from the rest. For one, it was walking away from the bathhouse while everyone else was walking towards it. No one greeted this spirit, While everyone else was cheerful with one another, this spirit was by itself sulking. Though, Luffy wasn't completely sure whether it was a tall snake spirit or some kind of weird malformed rooster spirit. Luffy had his bets on snake.

The two were at the foot of the bridge, completely out of nowhere a hand sized golden frog with black stripes and wearing a tan robe jumped up into their faces. " Master Corazon! Great to have you back!" greeted the only frog in the bathhouse who was brave enough to directly confront the infamous "Frog Slicer".

Luffy, who was about to let his breath go anyway, gasped at the giant cool frog in the front of him! He'd never seen one that color before! And filed it in the back of his mind to catch one like that for later.

Instantly, the spell snapped as if a blanket that was surrounding Luffy was suddenly and violently ripped off. The frog noticed immediately.

"Is that a human?!" he shrieked loudly, earning the attention of some of the other spirits and jumped up again to get a second look.

Cortozone or something like that, as Luffy now confirmed that was what the boy's name was, sucked his teeth in annoyance and trapped the frog in a floating bubble before dropping low to the ground and flying underneath the spirits, creating a huge gust of wind and leading Luffy to a secret door. He ushered Luffy inside and slammed the door behind him and locking it.

Crouching behind some bushes and flowers, the two boys hid out of sight. There were many paper windows in the bathhouse, thin so that shadows were easily seen and cast from both sides. It would be an issue if Luffy was seen before he could be carried to the boiler-man.

" Crap. Now they know you're here."

" Shishishi. Sorry."

" This is not a laughing matter." Cortozone sighed. " No matter. Once we get you a job, everything should iron out."

As soon as, the word "job" was said, Luffy immediately frowned. " You still didn't answer my question. Why do I have to get a stinking job?! I don't like being ordered around."

" I suppose now would be a good time to explain. I feel myself being summoned." He looked up to the very top of the bathhouse, then looked back to Luffy

" I'll explain this as simply and swiftly as possible. The owner of the bath house and head of The Family is a man named Doflamingo. He hates humans, so he turns any human he finds into animals and eats them."

"What!" Luffy exclaimed. "That's horrible!" Is that what all those animals in those stables were? People who got caught by this Flamingo guy?

"Quiet! But Doflamingo is a hard working man and as such respects hard workers. If you insist that you want to work for him, he may have mercy on you." Cortozone explained with utmost seriousness.

Luffy pursed his lips together, facing going red from thinking. He really really did not want to have a job. Jobs were boring and you have to be bossed around by other people. You have no freedom and must stick to schedules and times and your pay gets docked because some else screwed up! Then again...he did not want to be turned into an animal and eaten. That's such a sucky way to go! He thought of what his friends would do in this situation. They'd probably just suck it up and take the job but...Luffy wasn't like that.

" Fffffiiinee..." Luffy groaned, not liking this idea of a job one bit. " But it's better than ending on someone else's plate I suppose."

" Your cooperation is appreciated." the boy said, then placed two fingers on Luffy's head. " I have some instructions for you. This is very important but I'll implant a copy in your mind so you won't forget easily."

Luffy nodded in understanding. And listened to what Cortozone had said. Luffy, once the commotion had settled down was supposed to go out through the back gate of their little hiding area, and down some steps that was on the outside of the building and away from public view. He was supposed to keep going down the stairs until he reached the boiler room and meet someone by the name of Biera.

" Biera?"

" Yes. Biera will refuse you, or trick you into leaving and getting caught. He works for Doflamingo and won't hesitate to rat you out to save his own skin, so if you don't convince him to give you a job, you'll find your self smoked, with a nose longer than usual and an apple in your mouth." he said that last part somewhat harshly to emphasis seriousness.

" Alright then." Luffy said.

A slight smile twitched at the corner of Cortozone's lips, somewhat pleased that Luffy was actually listening to him. The moment he saw Luffy, he felt as though the boy was hard at taking other people's instructions and somewhat empty headed aside from a few repetitive thoughts that bounced around in a hollow skull. Perhaps in another life, they would meet again but Luffy would not listen to an ounce of what he had to say.

"Master Corazon! Master Corazon! We need you!" cried some of the workers of the bathhouse, running around frantically at the panic of a possible human in the bathhouse.

" I must go." Cortozone said. " Remember I am your ally Luffy. Do not hesitate to find me if you need me." He paused a bit. " Actually, consider whether you truly need me to dissolve your issue. I'd rather not have you cause unecessary ruckus trying to locate me for piddly matters."

Luffy internally grinned. The boy did not know who he was dealing with. Luffy could cause a ruckus sitting down in a chair, arms tied behind his back and completely minding his own business.

" Okay! But uh...how did you know my name?" Luffy titled his head.

" You told me. At the bridge. Rather loudly."

"...oh yeah! Shishishi."

Cortozone sighed, already feeling exasperated. " Just do as I instructed and everything will be fine."

Luffy walked him calmly walk away and enter the bathhouse through the sliding paper door. He didn't hear what they were all mumbling about. Something about the Flamingo guy wanting to see Cortozone about some mission or other thing. Luffy didn't really care about Cortozone's personal business so he didn't file it away as anything important. Right now, he needed to find this Beige guy or something.

On hands and knees, he crawled away, staying out of the light from the bath house. He opened the back exit and closed it behind him. Nearly immediately taking a step forward before he realized there was no ground beneath him. Still, he toed near the edge of the platform he was standing on and looked down. He was so high up, he didn't see the bottom. Only wispy dark clouds that looked blue in the night. He turned and looked ahead of him. There it was, stairs, nailed to the wall with no railing with questionable structural integrity. It creaked and groaned in the wind. missing steps adding to the song of the ringing bells and chugging trains beneath it.

Yikes. One wrong move and it was a long painful death..." Well! Let's get to it!"

Sticking his hands in his pockets, Luffy casually, but carefully and somewhat slowly trudged down the stairs. Making sure to step past broken ones and hop over the gaps that missing steps made. He shivered from the crisp cold the howling wind delivered, and held onto the grooves in the walls for several seconds at a time if he felt as if he was about to fall over.

Luffy was only down the first flight of stairs before the first step on the second flight suddenly gave way. The teen slid down with a yelp before bouncing up with long legs catching on the steps. He uncontrollably ran down them, legs moving with out his command as his arms were suspended in the air and he laughed loudly.

" Whoo ho-"

THUNK!

He was cut off mid whoop as he slammed face first into a concrete wall with enough force that the building seemed to shake. If it wasn't for Luffy's loud screaming, then it was the rattling of the building that altered its occupants. Several spirits stuck their heads out, some with cigarettes in hand as the looked about, trying to find the source of the noise.

Panting slightly, still smiling from the ride, Luffy got out of their line of sight and continued down the stairs without further incident.

A single lamp, flickering and attracting mosquitoes and mothers hung over the entrance of the boiling room. Luffy pushed opened the door, albeit with some difficulty as the green door was rusted in the hinges.

After getting in, making sure to slam the door as loud as he possibly could to make his presence known, Luffy stormed down the hallway, past steaming and hissing pipes with gauges and giant wheels he was tempted to spin. Gathering a couple boxes in the corner of the main room, Luffy stood atop them, cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled.

" GIVE ME A JOB RIGHT NOW!"

**Yes. Biera is a real One Piece character though not really well known. Can anyone guess where he's from? : )**


	4. Harass the Employees Anyway

**Hey I'm back with a new chapter! Hope you guys enjoy! Also forgive me if Luffy seems a bit OOC this chapter. I'm still trying to get the hang of him since this is my first time writing him.**

Luffy's shout was so loud it caused the boiler man to drop the bowl of herbs and spices he was currently holding. He fumbled with it for a bit before it slipped through his hands and crashed to the floor, completely shattering the clay bowl and spreading half grounded greens to the ground. With an angry growl he whipped his head to the source of the noise. Beady eyes, a straggly mustache and a hooked nose landed on Luffy, standing on the crates and slightly wincing.

" Whoops. Sorry. Shishishi." Luffy nervously chuckled, eyes shifting between the fallen bowl and the increasingly angry stare of the man Cortazon said he should go to. What if he ruined his chances? It definitely would not be good for him.

" What are you doing here you little brat." Biera growled, still staring Luffy while the multiple spider like arms he had went back to work, running on muscle memory.

" I came for a job." Luffy said firmly, nervousness gone.

" No. I have all the help I need." Biera immediately shot Luffy down, using one of his vacant arms to point down at tiny soot like creatures carrying coal back and forth across the floor.

" They're tiny. I'm big. I can be a bigger help." Luffy countered.

Biera gave a sharp laugh. " What makes you think I'm gonna give a tooth pick like you a job here. You'll break your arms and legs within the hour. Besides, even if I wanted to give you a job, which I don't. Whats going to stop you from breaking more of my things!"

" That was an accident! And you wasn't paying attention. You're going to have to pay some attention to me right? As a newbie or something. You can make sure I don't break stuff!" the teenager huffed. Cortazon was right. This old guy really was stubborn.

" I refuse!"

" I refuse your refusal!"

" That's not how jobs work!"

" Then that's how its going to work starting today!" Luffy hopped off the crates and looked at the wall spilling coal. He then picked up several pieces of coal that were too big for the soot balls, carried them to the furnace and dropped them in the fire, in pace with the workers.

" You will get no credit for that." Beira said, trying to discourage Luffy.

" I don't care. I'll work so good you'll have to acknowledge me and give me an official place here!" Luffy shouted.

Not stopping what he was doing, Biera picked up a hammer and threatened Luffy with it. " Listen here you little runt! You see these soot balls? They're a magic spell. If they don't work they'll turn back to regular soot! Right now, you're stopping them from working. You can't waltz into a place and steal someone elses job! Now leave. There's nothing you can do here!"

" Then make something for me to do! Cortazon personally sent me here to get a job. And get a job I will!"

" Cortazon?" Biera tilted his head then eyes going wide with surprise. " Do you mean Cora-"

A door within the wall slid open and someone came through, cutting Biera off and holding a basket of food in their hands, looking distinctly human too. For a moment Luffy thought this person was another human who managed to get a job from Biera. Luffy made a thought to ask how they managed to do it, but upon closer inspection, Luffy determined the aura around the person was distinctly not human.

Luffy stood off to the side, coal in arms, watching the two interact. They seemed familiar with each other, as if they've been friends for a very long time.

" Alright you little guys. Feeding time!" the newcomer said, squatting on a platform and tossing star pieces of a chalk like substances over it. The soot balls immediately stopped what they were doing and swarmed over to the piles of stars, grabbing as much as they could and fighting over the green ones. When they were finished, they stood up and immediately locked eyes with Luffy.

" You!" they shouted at Luffy with an accusatory tone, pointing a very sharp finger between Luffy's eyes.

" Me?!" Luffy gasped, dropping the coal pieces to point a finger at himself. He did not expect the sudden attention.

" Yes you! You're the human that's causing all of the commotion and chaos out there!"

" No I'm not. They're causing their own confusion and chaos. They can just ignore me!"

" What?" the newcomer stammered, obviously not hearing something like that before. " Biera, what is that thing doing here! He should be in a stable or on a plate!"

" Master Corazon sent him. Personally." Biera answered quietly, wondering what the significance of this straw hat wearing boy is. To have the right hand man of Doflamingo request guaranteed safety to a human of all things. Everyone knew that Corazon cared for nobody, especially humans.

The newcomer's finger dropped as they looked at Biera with an incredulous look. " Excuse me? What? Did I hear you right? Master Corazon, one of the most powerful spirits here, second only to Doflamingo wants the safety of this smelly human?!"

" Hey! I'm not smelly." Luffy huffed before sniffing his armpits then dry heaving.

Newcomer ignored him with a roll of their eyes and head. " Are you sure he isn't lying to you Biera. Humans are known for being notorius liars in order to get what they want."

" Positive. He looks like his brain is the size of a guinep. No way he can successfully pull off a lie."

Luffy frowned. He did not like being insulted. While what they were saying might have been true, they didn't have to be so mean about it. Plus he was tired of being rejected" Oi! Hurry up hire me. Either one of you. I don't care."

Fed up with Luffy, but also impressed by his stubbornness, Biera told the newcomer to send him to Doflamingo. " He's a tough one alright. I'm sure the Young Master would appreciate someone like him."

" What?! No way! I'm not getting in trouble. You know what happened to the last person who tried to help a human to safety?"

Biera was silent.

" Exactly. No one knows. One day she was here, the next day she wasn't." Newcomer shook their head furiously. " Nu-uh. Master Corazon or not. I'm not risking my neck for some human. Especially one I don't know." they finished, giving Luffy the stink-eye.

Luffy blew a raspberry at them.

Biera sighed and said something to Newcomer in a language Luffy didn't understand then handed them a brown packaged tied in string. " I'll give you my last piece of grilled elephant tuna~ "

" Are you bribing me with food?" they raised their eyebrow and snatched the package. "You know that doesn't fail. You can't do that to me."

" I still do and just did." Biera smirked. He grabbed a his hammer and smacked it against a metal wheel. " Alright you slackers. Get back to work now. These bathtubs aren't going to heat themselves!"

While the soot sprites went back to work, Newcomer sighed then looked at Luffy. " Come on you. Hop up and leave those sandals here. They're too filthy for where I'm taking you."

" Nah. I like these shoes. Plus they have special gel things for my feet. I use my feet a lot so they tend to ache really bad and I wear the gel things so the pain stops." Luffy explained, toes clenching the edges of his sandals to make his point he wasn't leaving his shoes.

Newcomer sighed and then grumbled under his breath." Fine. I guess we can put a bag over them or something."

"Yosh!Let's go!" Luffy followed after Newcomer, who picked up their basket and empty bowls. " Thanks boiler man!"

Beira grunted in response, but you could hear a slight smile in it.

Newcomer and Luffy disappeared through the small door and into a room of gears.

"To get an official job, you need to go to Don Quixote Doflamingo. He's the owner of the bathhouse and head of The Family. He lives on the very top floor. That's where I'm taking you." they explained.

Luffy nodded as he looked around and put his arms behind his head and followed the Newcomer, whistling and singing a song.

"Oh the islands in the south are warm/ And their heads get really hot/ They grow-a pineapples/They grow-a coconuts/ And they're all morons!"

" Will you pipe down!" Newcomer clamped a hand over Luffy's mouth, pinning his lips together between their fingers. " We'll get caught!"

It wasn't until they got in the elevator till Luffy licked the inside of Newcomer's palm, forcing the human look a like to shriek, yank their hand back and wipe the spit off on the leg of their pants. " You're disgusting!"

" Your hand was disgusting. It smelt like a public restroom and tastes like dirty bathwater!"

" That's what you get for licking my hand!"

" You shouldn't have put your hand on my face!"

" You shouldn't have been singing!"

" You should have ignored my singing!"

" Oh yeah? And have your obnoxious voice kill us both? I think not. Not every one in this place will stick out their necks like me and Biera. Half of the folks here are greedy slimy bastards and would stab their own kin to be more favorable in the eyes of Doffy. Or just to survive another night. This place is more than a bathhouse. It's a death trap for any worker that crosses a line. No matter how minor it is." Newcomer's face hardened.

"The line I'm crossing is about as wide as the fall downstairs to the train tracks is long. I will literally be killed for helping you. Got that. Don't make me change my mind. I have no qualms against handing you to Doffy myself under the guise of capturing you. I'll have a fat promotion and maybe I'll actually be able to leave this hellhole permanently."

After that Newcomer turned away, leaving the inside of the elevator in uncomfortable silence. When the doors slid open, Luffy stepped out and looked up, eyes squinting. " This doesn't look like the top."

" Of course not idiot." Newcomer sighed. " This one only goes halfway. We'd have to take a different elevator to get to the top floor. The traffic in this place gets ridiculous sometimes so various elevators stop at various places to regulate the flow of customers and workers."

The two quietly tiptoed across the floor they were on, not wanting to alert the chefs, maidens or anyone ambling about. They quickly swung around the corner and into a vacant elevator, the door shutting hastily.

" Almost there. Then I'll finally be out of this mess." Newcomer grumbled to themselves.

" Oi. How come you hate humans." Luffy abruptly asked.

" W-what?" Newcomer choked on their own spit, shocked by the suddenness of the question.

" I asked why you hate humans." Luffy repeated himself.

Newcomer was silent, back facing Luffy as they stared through the moving gaps in the elevator. " What's it to you runt."

" I'm a human and you hate me." Luffy quietly said.

Newcomer sighed and slid a hand down their face. Oh boy. This probably came from the outburst they had from the first elevator. Having a good look at the kid, they figured he must not be older than 12.

" Listen kid I don't hate you...or humans. Not really. I just hate all the freedom that they have. They can join or quit a job as they please and not die from it. They can enjoy life, not worrying about every action that could possibly get them killed. They're so...lucky and they take it all for granted. I've seen too many humans with bright futures stumble into this place and have it ripped from right under their noses. Most of whom are young brats like you. I just don't want to see it happen again. And your non nonchalant behavior angers me because you have absolutely no idea who you'll be making a deal with."

Luffy pressed his mouth into a thin line and shrugged. " I see. Well I guess I'll just have to not die then."

Newcomer was silent then burst into a fit of laughter. " Wow. You've got stuff kid. I'd hate for a fire like you to get snuffed kid. Just...do your part and you'll be fine."

The elevator ground to halt and the doors slid open, revealing a very large Radish Spirit blocking the hallway. It grumbled something in the same strange language the boiler man and Newcomer used earlier before pointing upwards with its root like fingers.

Newcomer pulled their tight customer smile. " Why hello sir! I'm afraid this elevator doesn't go any higher. You can take another one or use the stairs."

Quickly they slipped past the spirit and dashed across the indoor bridge connecting the two sides of the building. Thinking Newcomer was directing it to a new elevator, the Radish Spirit followed.

" Oh boy." Newcomer grumbled under their breath when the noticed they were being followed.

" Do you want me to shoo him?" Luffy asked.

" What? No. Just ignore him and don't look at him either." Newcomer responded, straightening their back from its hunched position.

On the opposite side of the building was the final elevator to get as close to the top floor as possible. Newcomer arrived and shortly after the Radish Spirit. The doors slid open, realizing a frog like worker and several dragon like customers. The frog worker, with a cheerful smile directed the customers onward before pausing for a second and turning around.

Newcomer subtly pushed Luffy in the elevator with their hip, the Radish Spirit following and blocking Luffy with its body.

" Oi watch it!" Luffy hissed as he was pushed into a far corner, the only thing he was able to see being the red of the spirits loin cloth. Mumbled arguments flew outside the elevator.

" If you want to go to the top, pull the lever!" Newcomer said, trying to push the frog like worker off them.

Radish spirit growled in acknowledgement and pulled down on the lever, closing the doors with Luffy inside. It was a quiet and very uncomfortable ride for Luffy. He was squished against the hard wood and ridges of the wall, the spirits arm directly above him. The only thing he could move was his head.

"Hmm...I wonder if..." Luffy absentmindedly thought, turning his head to lick the Radish Spirit several times.

The spirit chuckled several times, pleased to find another human that appreciated the root he was spawned after. There was so few in the land he originated from. He broke off a piece of his arm which immediately re-spawned and handed it to Luffy, who took it without a second thought. Now the spirit was determined to make sure this human reached his destination safely.

Quiet munching filled the elevator before it halted and opened, revealing a long hallway of shoes and rooms filled with the silhouettes of spirits. Some of which were malicious. Radish Spirit, put his thick arm in front of Luffy to prevent the teen from leaving.

" Not top." He rumbled an explanation, as the doors slid closed again.

Another period of quiet crunching and silence for the most part before the elevator stopped again, doors opening to an ornately decorated hallway. The Radish Spirit stepped to the side, allowing Luffy to exit the elevator. The teen then stood at the threshold of the door.

Swiveling his head to the right, he saw a large double door decorated with swirling gold designs and other intricacies that reflected quite poorly in the dimly lit hallway. Luffy looked up to see the lights sliced in half, as if someone attacked them out of anger...or maybe just cause.

To the left, the hallway stretched into endless darkness, nothing visible beyond the first couple of feet. Luffy gulped as he stared down the ominous hallway, all light being sucked in like a black hole, never escaping. Luffy had the distinct feeling that if he went down that hallway, he would never be seen again.

Luffy felt himself gently being pushed towards the right, stumbling slightly then turning around to see the elevator doors hiss shut one final time.

The teen let out a nervous breath then surrounded himself with a confident air. His usual air. Acting like a nervous kid wouldn't impress his soon-to-be boss right? So, with a puffed up chest, Luffy marched to the entrance of the door and knocked. Very loudly and very repeatedly.

" Oi. Let me in. I need to speak to a Flaming Mango!"

When there was no answer, he pushed the door and fell through, realizing it was open the entire time. Beyond the door was a much shorter hallway with another set of doors. In front of these doors were two guards sleeping, wearing black long sleeves turtle necks and puffy tan pants with pattern of spots on the end and white fluffy hats.

The two guards shot upright, surprised and when their eyes rolled to Luffy, that surprise turned into defense.

" Look! A human lets get him!" One of them shouted, brandishing a sword.

"Yeah. If we carry him to Doflamingo, maybe we can get promoted. Or better yet leave!" the other agreed.

Luffy frowned, that was the same thing that Newcomer had threatened him with. The teen had no time to declare his purpose before the swords started swinging. He jumped backwards, dodging the first blow and ducked to avoid the second. Using that force and momentum, he rammed into one of the guards, knocking them down. The sword he was holding skidded across the tile floor scrapping it. He knocked the guard out with a single punch to the face and rolled off them to the floor, barely avoiding the swing from the other guard.

Several thick straw chunks fell from his hat, drifting back and forth in the air before settling on the floor. Everything went eerily silent. Luffy looked up, his dark orbs, usually filled with warmth now burning with a cold fury. He took the preservation of his hat very seriously. If someone accidentally sat or dropped something easily washable on it, that was okay. The damage was not intentional and they usually apologized profusely afterwards. But this was not okay. This was a very intentional attack made to hurt him.

" You cut my hat." Luffy stated, voice hollow as he picked up the pieces and put it in his pocket. Maybe Nami could stitch them back on?  
The guard gulped nervously, and took several steps backwards, sword in the front of them " Stay back!"

Luffy did quite the opposite and dashed forward, in the blink of an eye was in front of the guard, their sword on the ground and the teen's fist buried deep in the guards stomach. The guard flew back, blood spurting from his mouth as he landed on top of their still unconscious partner.

A short second afterwards, Luffy went seemingly back to normal, smiling as if he totally forgot he single-handedly beat two grown men, each wielding very sharp swords.

" Fufufufufufufu! How interesting." a voice laughed, smooth, seductive and rattling Luffy to his core with its underlying maliciousness.

The teen looked around, trying to find the source of the unsettling laugh.

" Over here kid, at the door." the voice chuckled.

Luffy turned his head to the door and watched as it swung open, and several other doors behind it opening too, each with their own sets of guards.

" What are you waiting for? Come in. I've been expecting you...Straw Hat."

**Okay. Since this probably won't be mentioned in story. Luffy is still pretty strong in this AU but nowhere near as strong as canon since he's not risking his life everyday. That and the magic food he was given gave him a boost. So if you're questioning why Luffy can do certain things in a "normal world", the answer is magic.**


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